Research Methodology

The participation in the legislative bodies deciding on initiatives related to the Arctic region
The participation in advisory bodies under federal authorities
The participation in the relevant parliamentary committees of the State Duma and Federation Council
The participation in the governance bodies of the companies operating in the Arctic region (if the company is not territorially tied to the region, we also take it into account if its top management participates in the expert bodies for the Arctic region)
The participation in the expert bodies functioning under government bodies or development institutions
The participation in business associations, in particular in the groups (councils, commissions, working groups) focusing on the Arctic region
The participation in groups on Arctic topics at federal law enforcement agencies
The participation in international initiatives and supranational structures

The present analysis includes only those commercial companies that have access to targeted investment in the Arctic zone and whose top management is represented in the expert bodies attached to state, legislative or other government agencies in the Arctic zone.
One individual might be in several evaluation blocks, which makes their “power” bigger.
Members of federal law enforcement agencies were not included as objects of research because of difficulties in identification: lack of publicly available information, the need to uncover “informal” connections and influence through interviews with experts, and the fact that analysis of law enforcement agencies is toxic in its nature. However, included was the Interdepartmental Commission of the Security Council of the Russian Federation on protecting Russia’s national interests in the Arctic which, we assume, includes a large number of actors from law enforcement in the Arctic, which are influential in the Arctic region.
Not all stakeholders from the Project Office for Arctic Development (PORA) expert council were included in the final study sample: it did not include students, teachers, experts whose work is not connected with the regional agenda, and owners of small businesses.
To avoid the risks of endogeneity or regenerative connection, the study sample does not include the Russian Federal Service for Hydrometeorology and Environmental Monitoring (Roshydromet) and consultative bodies at it; some of the stakeholders from the executive bodies have already been included in the study.
To avoid overcoverage in sampling, the study sample does not include the stakeholders who are involved in Arctic policies as part of their core activities (e.g. VEB or RZD), but it does specifically include those actors who are uniquely placed to influence Arctic policies in particular and/or have access to unique levers of influence over Arctic issues that are sometimes outside the scope of their offices and positions.